Billionaire Charlie Munger Hated Being Told What To Do — He Said Getting Rich Meant You Could Say 'To Hell With Them' and Avoid Needing Anyone

The late Charlie Munger didn't warm up with pleasantries—and he definitely didn't care about making anyone comfortable. In a 2023 interview on the "Acquired" podcast, just weeks before he would have turned 100, the Berkshire Hathaway legend made his view on money crystal clear: it's not about yachts, bragging rights, or some Forbes list. 

"The point of getting rich is so you don't have to need other people, so you don't have to get along with other people," he said. 

It wasn't bitterness. It was clarity. When asked if he'd go into investing again if he were 30 years old today, Munger said he probably would—because it fit his nature. But managing outside capital? Not so much.

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"I didn't really enjoy the 3 and 30 business," he said. "Once I had enough money on my own, I'd rather just operate with my own money."

He didn't want to chase investors. He didn't want to pitch ideas or take meetings just to appease consultants. He was over it. "Being forced to sell, being forced to deal with investment bankers, being forced to deal with investment consultants, being forced to deal with venture capital… To hell with them. Who wants it?"

The takeaway wasn't that wealth buys power—it's that it removes friction. Fewer meetings. Fewer explanations. Fewer people standing between you and your decisions.

Munger also wasn't trying to act like success was a formula. 

When reflecting on Berkshire's early days, he said it came down to a mix of ability, effort, and pure luck. "Almost everything has three things: They're very intelligent, they worked very hard, and they were very lucky. It takes all three."

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But knowing when to act—that mattered too. "When you know you have an edge, you should bet heavily," he said. "Most people don't teach that in business school."

That mindset showed up in everything from his investment philosophy to how he ran partnerships. He preferred simplicity, trust, and long-term thinking. He liked working with people who stayed the course, not those chasing the next exit.

And despite his success, he knew the game didn't get easier. "It's very difficult to invest money well," he said. "I think it's all but impossible to do time after time after time in venture capital."

Munger didn't care much for trends, titles, or playing nice. He cared about thinking clearly and doing what made sense. If that rubbed people the wrong way, he'd already made peace with that.

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